Cobalt
by WhiteWinterStar
Summary: Where did Ivan get the lacrima that gave Laxus his magic? He stole it from a dragon. When stripped of their power, they soon perish. Ever since this happened the dragon's student has been looking for the one who killed her teacher and parent. When she is led to Magnolia at the beginning of the Harvest festival, she is shocked to see what has happened to her master's legacy.
1. The Stormbringer

**Yo! I'm back with another fic!  
Fair warning, irregular updates ahead!  
All chapters after this will be first-person,  
from Noelle's POV.**

"Miss Fairy Tail contest, huh? I could _so _use this to pay my rent money!" Lucy said confidently. Happy nodded to her.

"Natsu thought you might want to look at it. That's why we came over." The blue cat explained. "Then he kind of fell asleep while we were waiting for you to get back."

Lucy sighed exasperatedly. "I really shouldn't be surprised at this anymore. All right, you two can stay, but just for tonight!" When Happy cheered Lucy added, "And because Natsu is still sick from the ethernano."

It had been about a week since the team had returned from the Tower of Heaven, and Natsu was still not back to full strength—that being him challenging _every single _person he met to a fight. Still, Lucy was a little worried about him.

The blonde girl snatched a pillow off her bed and went to the couch. _I guess I'm sleeping here tonight._ She pulled a spare blanket over herself. Before she closed her eyes, Happy landed on the couch with her. "Natsu hits me in his sleep." The cat explained, before settling down with Lucy. She sighed again.

_Sometimes Happy is more needy than Natsu._ Thinking about the contest, she decided, _I'll have to go to the bookstore tomorrow and pick up some fashion magazines…I think the new Sorcerer Weekly is out as well…_

With thoughts of cute outfits and other girly things on her mind, Lucy quickly fell asleep.

The next morning, Lucy was out early. Natsu had been snoring way more loudly than what should have been possible, and she hadn't been able to sleep any longer. So, she decided to go to the bookstore at opening time and then visit the guild to ask Mira for advice about the contest.

"The Harvest Festival starts tomorrow, so I don't have time to buy anything new. Maybe Virgo can help me find something to wear…" She said to herself.

Though the sun had hardly risen, people were bustling about the city, hanging up decorations and building stands for the coming celebration. Even some of the tourists were helping to prepare.

"Here we go!" Lucy exclaimed when she reached the bookstore, 'A Fairy's Tale'. She always laughed about the name.

A sleepy looking shopkeeper greeted her when she entered. Lucy approached the magazine rack and began to scan through what was available.

_Fall Fiesta, Wizard's Wardrobe…_ Lucy picked up the two magazines and continued scanning. _There it is! The new Sorcerer Weekly!_ Lucy made a triumphant noise and picked up the volume. It showed the picture of a female wizard who looked like she was surrounded by her own personal hurricane.

At that moment, the door to the shop burst open. Lucy looked towards it, to find a cloaked figure standing there, looking right at her. Lucy couldn't see the person's face, though she could tell it was a girl.

The mysterious figure shook her head and entered the store. They crossed paths as Lucy approached the register to pay for her magazines. Seeing the copy of Sorcerer Weekly in Lucy's right hand, the person laughed.

"Stormbringer, Noelle Cobalt." The cloaked figure read. "Of _course_. I should have known…" the other girl retreated into the back of the store.

Lucy shrugged to herself. That person must have been one of the tourists in for the Harvest Festival.

After paying for the items, Lucy went outside the store and sat on one of the nearby benches—she couldn't wait to read Sorcerer Weekly.

"Let's see…it looks like they featured a rogue wizard this time! That's unusual."

The main article had a full-page picture of the starring wizard, Noelle Cobalt. She had light brown hair a bit longer than Mira's, bright yellow eyes, and an annoyed expression. She was wearing a dark green blouse with rolled up sleeves, and rolled up jean shorts. What looked like a yellow scarf was tied around her waist.

_Noelle Cobalt, an enigmatic wizard. Who is she and what is her magic? Why hasn't such a powerful wizard joined a guild after years of travelling? All that and more will be answered in this article._

_This mysterious girl is always travelling throughout Fiore, never stopping for more than a few weeks. One of our reporters had a chance encounter with her in the town of Clover and managed to secure an interview._

_Cobalt is eighteen years old. While her main power is lightning, she can summon entire storms at will. "It is called Storm Magic." Cobalt said. "Actually, I'm the Storm Dragon Slayer." _Lucy's eyes widened at this fact. The only Dragon Slayers she knew were Natsu and Gajeel.

_Cobalt went on to say that she doesn't try to be a mystery; that it is just easier to keep to herself. "I travel so much that it's hard to make friends, and I don't mind that. I have a goal that I need to fulfill on my own. But I do occasionally return to towns or visit people that I have helped in the past. I actually have some really good friends in the Blue Pegasus guild."_

_When questioned about her goal, Cobalt only replied, "It is for my master." And refused to say more. Cobalt also didn't say where she came from._

_Her reasons for not joining a guild are thus, "I have nothing against guild wizards; I just like to be able to go where I want. The mission I have to complete doesn't allow me to live in one place." In response to a question about dark guilds, Cobalt replied, "I like to fight them. It's good practice."_

_Cobalt does a variety of things, from slaying demons to apprehending bandits to destroying illegal wizard guilds. "I find jobs by chance. If my search leads me to a town where something bad is going down, then of course I'll get rid of the problem. It's the right thing to do."_

_"I'm not always searching, though. Most of the time I am trying to become stronger because there is someone I must fight someday, and I have to win." Cobalt added in response to a question about her daily life._

_We asked her to demonstrate some of her magic, and Cobalt graciously agreed. Included are a few pictures of those demonstrations._

_"I can't show you everything, though. I have to keep a few tricks up my sleeve!"_

_-This concludes our interview with the Stormbringer, Noelle Cobalt.-_

Lucy flipped to the pictures of Noelle, which took the place of what would normally be the magazine's centerfold.

Noelle was shown in various stages, one with a whip made of energy, another with a cyclone of lightning around her, and the last picture showed her using what Lucy guessed was her breath attack.

"What a crazy wizard." Lucy said to herself. _Still, I wonder what could be so important about her mission. She said she's been on the road for years._ Lucy was only a wandering wizard for a few months; she couldn't imagine what it would be like to be on the move for so long.

_I bet Natsu would like to meet her. Maybe she knows something about Igneel._ Lucy smiled. _I wonder if Noelle will ever come to Magnolia…_

**And there it is, kittens!  
Love it? Hate it? Please review!**


	2. Thunder in the Guild Hall

**Hello hello hello!  
Welcome back to Cobalt!  
I tried to not make Noelle overpowered,  
but I don't know how well it went.  
Feel free to tell me!**

I stretched, and a muscle in my back twinged—I must have slept on a rock last night. That rock must also have been the reason why I woke up well before dawn. Oh, well. _This is what comes from only carrying one blanket and using your bag as a pillow, Noelle._ I thought to myself. But other stuff was too tiring to carry around.

Picking up my messenger-type bag, I looked inside. _Damn. Good thing I'm going to reach Magnolia today, I'm almost out of food. _I yawned and began to munch on my last bit of dried fruit. I could forage, of course, but today I really didn't feel like it.

When I was finished with my paltry breakfast, I kicked dirt over the remains of last night's fire. My water bottle was still full, so there was no need to go to the nearby stream and refill it. "It looks like I'm ready to go."

I put on my short boots, lifted the hood on my travelling coat, and set off walking through the forest. The weather was mostly clear, with a few cirrus clouds making star-like formations in the sky.

What led me to Magnolia was a scent I had picked up while in a town a few days ago. I'd gone to check out the Dark Guild in that town, Ghoul Spirit. When I got there, most of the members were injured and didn't put up much of a fight. But the thing I was most interested in was the scent that lingered in the building. Only a day or so old, I could smell a young man.

And that man smelled like my teacher, Ventall. _He's not the same one as before, but if he smells like Ventall, he definitely knows something._

Once I threatened to blow apart their guild hall, Ghoul Spirit's members had told me what guild the man was from—Fairy Tail.

After a little more research back in town, I had managed to figure out where Fairy Tail was located and how to get there. The information was worth a magazine interview—though I didn't know how popular my story would be.

I focused back on the path in front of me right before I tripped over a tree root. _That was close._

A little while later, the ground began to slope downwards and I could smell a fairly large town up ahead. Quickening my steps, I dashed out of the tree cover.

There it was; the town of Magnolia. Only a short cliff separated me from my destination. After judging the height, I decided the quickest was would be to simply jump down. And so I did.

A simple blast of air endured I made it down the drop safely.

_All right, if I make my way to that cathedral in the center of town, I should be able to find the road that leads to Fairy Tail. And, if I'm lucky, there will be somewhere to eat along the way._

The town seemed to be in a festive mood, with decorations being set up. There was a tantalizing smell coming from a shop stall, and after helping the owner get the sign up on his stand, I was rewarded with three large muffins. "So, what's the occasion?" I asked the elderly baker while munching on my reward.

"Oh, it's Magnolia's annual harvest festival. Lots of the masks and toys you see here are based on the Fairy Tail guild—have you heard of them?"

"I'm looking for the guild, actually. I need to talk with one of the members." I replied coolly.

"Are you a wizard too? Well, if you need to find them, just take a left at the book store, that'll take you to the main road. After that go past Kardia Cathedral and you should see the building right after you cross the river." The old man informed.

"Really? I guess I'll be going then!" After taking a few steps I turned back to the man and said, "And yeah, I'm a wizard." I summoned a small bolt of electricity just to show off. The old man chuckled and waved goodbye.

The cobblestone streets pinged with the tromp of feet, the roll of wagons, and the random alley cat that would run by.

I smelled paper and ink, and sure enough, there was the book store. Since it was still early, not a lot of people were there.

A blonde woman entered the store. I couldn't see her face, but I thought I recognized her.

_That shade of hair, that physique…could it be?_ Though my assumption was probably incorrect, I dashed into the store after her.

She must have heard my approach, because the girl turned around—and I sighed. This person was my age, much too young to be who I'd thought.

I walked past her, trying to hide my disappointment. When I saw the magazine in her hand, I laughed. "Stormbringer Noelle Cobalt. I should have known." Of course that interview would have gone _somewhere, _but I didn't expect myself to be on a magazine cover!

_Wait—what was that mark on her hand?_ I looked back as the girl was paying and saw the pink symbol. A guildmark—Fairy Tail. I decided to follow her.

Sure enough, the girl led me to my destination. I hung around outside and out of sight as I listened to what was going on.

"Oh! Good morning, Lucy!"

"Hi, Mira. Say, how do I enter the Miss Fairy Tail contest?"

The woman called Mira spoke up, "Oh, I can put your name down. It starts at noon tomorrow, so make sure to come early. I don't want you to get mobbed by the male spectators. A lot of the men from town come to see the contest!"

A third, deeper female voice spoke up. "Gray! Clothes, _now!"_ There were mumbled curses coming from the boy who I assumed must have been Gray.

Footsteps began to approach from down the street. "Man, I just want to eat everything in sight today." Came the voice of a boy.

"Aye. I wish Lucy would have made us breakfast, but you drove her out with your snoring."

I saw a pink haired boy walking past with—why was that cat blue?

The boy kept talking. "Yeah, and after I eat, it's time for a fight! I bet ol' droopy drawers will—" He broke off with a loud sniff. "Happy, do you smell that?"

"What is it, Natsu?" The cat asked.

Natsu looked towards where I was hiding behind one of the guild's walls. "Someone smells weird. It's nobody I've met before, but they almost remind me of Laxus."

"Maybe it's one of his fans. Come on, let's get some fish!" Happy declared. And so the two went inside the massive stone building with mentions of food. Since it was getting pretty loud inside, I decided to concentrate on scents.

I smelled frost, fire wood, metal, and a number of other things, but the smell I was looking for was not as strong. _It looks like he hasn't been here for a while. _

I sat there for a moment, contemplating my next move. I should probably have gone inside and just asked for information.

_But that Natsu guy smelled like a dragon. He must be another Dragon Slayer!_ I'd heard of the people who used my type of magic, but apart from odd scent trails the only other one I'd met hadn't been a fighter. I was curious about the powers other Dragon Slayers had. And maybe he knew about the man I was looking for.

I stored my cloak in my bag and stood up. The sun was well over the horizon now, and the day was still crisp and cool.

The doors to the guild were wide open. People were crowded around inside, eating and laughing. One guy was in his boxers and another woman was guzzling down a barrel of what smelled like wine.

The girl I'd followed, Lucy, was chatting with who I assumed must have been Mira. Even so early, the guild was crowded. Natsu was also sitting at the bar, devouring some kind of food—I couldn't tell what.

I walked in, anticipation hurrying my steps. One or two heads looked my way, but most of the guild members disregarded me. They probably thought I was one of the townspeople.

As I approached, Lucy noticed me. Her eyes widened a bit and she glanced back to her magazine. I came to a stop in front of her and Natsu and Lucy said, "Are you—what are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for someone." I said.

When I spoke, Natsu paused in his eating. I heard a sniff, and he turned to look at me. His eyes widened. "Why do you smell like a dragon?"

"The same reason as you, I guess. Let me think…" I sniffed. He had the scent of ash on him. "Fire Dragon Slayer?"

Mira smiled. "Are you a Dragon Slayer as well?"

I nodded. "I have a couple questions, if that's—"

"Fight me!" Natsu ordered.

"Wait, _what?"_

"Come on! How often do _you_ run into someone who uses our type of magic? Let's go!"

"My, my." Mira said helplessly.

"Natsu, she just got here!" Lucy exclaimed.

_ It would be good experience…_I thought. "Well, why not? I haven't had a good sparring match for a while." I cracked my knuckles and Natsu laughed while his hands burst into flame.

"Don't you _dare _ mess up this place again, you brat!" The voice of an old man ordered. "Fight outside!"

"Catch me if you can!" I yelled to Natsu and dashed out the door.

A few steps into the street, I turned to look at the guild. There was a metal ornament on the roof. _Perfect!_ As Natsu came at me, I shot an electrical current towards the ornament. The energy locked onto it like a grappling hook and I used it to shoot myself up onto the roof.

Natsu yelled, "Come back here!" I blew a raspberry at him. In the three seconds it took him to get up after me, I noticed the courtyard and pool in the back of the guild. A bit farther away there was a huge lake. _That'll be the place where we fight._

As we both landed, I finally turned to Natsu. "Here we go! Storm dragon's claw!" With a wave of my arm, four lightning bolts whizzed towards Natsu.

He dodged fairly easily. As his hands burst into flame, he yelled, "Fire dragon's iron fist!" _He's fast!_ The blow would have struck my lower abdomen, but I blew out the fire with a gust of wind before it could burn me. It still hurt. I dropped down to my hands quickly and struck out with my legs to knock Natsu over.

Natsu righted himself and inhaled quickly—I knew what that meant, facing another Dragon Slayer. "Fire dragon's roar!"

"Storm dragon's tailwind!" I spoke in unison with Natsu, and a gust of air lifted me about ten feet off the ground, out of his attack range. As I fell back towards Earth, I aimed myself towards Natsu and yelled, "Storm claws, explosion!" Electricity arced out from my hands and I solidly connected with Natsu's face.

Landing awkwardly, I was soon up on my feet. Though I had landed behind Natsu—and a searing blow soon hit my back and knocked me off my feet.

I spun to face Natsu. His hair was spikier than it had been and he was smoking, but otherwise unharmed. As we exchanged blows, I said,

"You're pretty good! Did your dragon teach you to fight like this?"

Throwing a flaming fist my way, Natsu replied, "Yeah! Igneel was the best! You ever heard of him?"

"Nope! Ventall was my teacher. She never mentioned any other dragons." We battled without speaking for another few minutes, and I noticed that the other Guild members were starting to gather. I heard snatches of conversation, which was mostly people wondering about who I was and why Natsu was fighting me. All the rest was people cheering as either one of us landed a hit.

One of Natsu's flaming punches lit my shirt on fire. While I was off guard, Natsu sent me flying and I landed in chlorinated water. Their pool! It only took me a second to come up with an idea.

Water conducted electricity—this would be perfect. Surfacing, I splashed water Natsu's way. While the water was still flying, I sent a wave of lightning through it and to Natsu.

He yelled in pain. _Did I go overboard?_ I wondered. Natsu stood on the edge of the pool, panting and wet. Steam rose off of his body.

He looked at me, still treading water, and I was surprised to see that he was smiling. With a laugh, the dragon slayer said, "That was a pretty good fight!"

"You know, it was!" I swam to the edge of the pool and lifted myself out.

"What kind of Dragon Slayer are you? You used more than one kind of magic."

"I use Storm magic. It'd a bit more diverse than most types. Though I prefer… _What?_" I asked the staring guild members.

The one who had been in his underwear before spoke up—fortunately, he had found his pants. "Where the hell did you come from?"

"That's not very polite." I replied, wringing out my long hair. "My name is Noelle Cobalt. I'm a freelancing wizard."

"What brings you to Magnolia?" Mira asked. "Are you here for the festival, or perhaps to join Fairy Tail?"

"Neither. I'm looking for someone, and the scent trail led me here."

"I can see that there's a story to tell. Why don't you come inside and dry off?" Mira asked politely. _I like her_. I decided.

"Sounds good."

She nodded back to me. "It seems like there's a story to tell."

"So you really don't know when he will return?" I asked again, out of sheer boredom.

It was a few hours after my sparring match with Natsu. I had been hanging around the guild since that morning.

"Laxus and his friends go on jobs for weeks sometimes. They may come back for the Harvest Festival, but the master hasn't heard anything from them." A female wizard named Erza told me. I was sitting at a table with her, Natsu, Lucy, Happy, and the stripper, Gray. Natsu and Gray were arguing again—I'd noticed that they did that a lot.

I thought back to what they had told me about Laxus.

_"The person I'm looking for definitely uses lightning magic. It's more than likely that they call themselves a Dragon Slayer." The last part of my statement came out bitterly._

_"It sounds like Laxus." Gray announced thoughtfully. "He's the only one in Fairy Tail who uses lightning magic really well."_

_"Laxus…I guess I'll be sticking around until he returns." I _have _to talk to him. If I could find Laxus, he could absolutely lead be to the one…_

"You're more than welcome to stay here until then!" Mira called from across the room.

I nodded in affirmation of her statement.

"Don't worry." Erza spoke again. "Whatever you are trying to do..you came to the right place. Fairy Tail is always here to help."

**I'm sorry my update speed has been slow.  
****I'm in a musical at school and it goes on next week,  
****so I've been busy. I'll try to give more time to this.  
****I'd love to hear any feedback you have!**


End file.
